Imagine Denys Lasdun’s National Theatre, transplanted deep inside a Luxembourg forest...
Actually, imagine Lasdun’s next door IBM building instead. Because the European Investment Bank HQ (1974-80) is not *in itself* quite as dramatic a form as his National Theatre, although its (original) landscaping next a wooded ravine in Luxembourg City’s Konigsberg district certainly must have lent it theatricality.
Sadly, much of that is now gone (on the north and east sides), as the EIB extended to a new glass atrium annexe, and the Konigsberg district became a mini-Brasilia for the EU’s legal and financial institutions - sitting across, diagonally, or next door, on its grid-like townplan are the European Finacial Stability Mechanism, the European Court of Justice (a Dominque Perrault effort from 1996-2008, which works in practice better than his French National Library [Paris, 1989-95] or his Berlin Velodrome/Swimhall/"Orchard" [1992-99] ideas), the European Court of Auditors, and many such other cogs in the EU infrastructure, delegated from Brussels to Luxembourg.
Detailing.
The Konigsberg zone and the ravine hosting the old town seemed to be as much as Luxembourg City had to offer - bar its lucrative income and corporation tax deals - so the whole is probably only worth 24 hours of your time. Not least since none of these buildings are publicly accessible on the inside, aside from the ECJ (justice must be done, and must be seen to be done.)
View south from the EIB's new extension to Lasdun's original.
Familiar massing on the skyline, but Luxembourg, not London.
Southern tip.
Perfect massing and proportions, with some of the original landscaping foliage, at dusk.
However, this is probably the least known of Lasdun’s works, at least outside of his private residence for the Sainsburies supermarket family dynasty. Perhaps for completists only, but if you like Lasdun, you’ll like seeing it.
Good luck finding anything else to do in Luxembourg City.
